Program October 30, 2011

Medallion by Allen Shearer.

Claudia Stevens,piano

Medallion was commissioned in 1984 by Claudia Stevens as part of a special program to honor Elliott Carter on his 75th birthday. It was first performed at Weill Recital Hall in New York and subsequently at many other venues throughout the country. The title refers to a stone carving on the exterior of Chartres Cathedral. It shows Euclid drawing with a compass at a slanted desk, resembling Elliott Carter in his posture and his quiet concentration. –Allen Shearer

Sextet by Peter Josheff.

In two movements

Tod Brody, flute
Diane Maltester, clarinet
Terrie Baune, violin
Emily Onderdonk, viola
Thalia Moore, cello
Karen Rosenak, piano
Peter Josheff, conductor

My Sextet in two movements (a third movement is in the works) marks a return to instrumental music after a long period of writing for voices. A couple of years ago the Laurel Ensemble invited me to arrange a portion of my opera Inferno for their ensemble of flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano. Working on that arrangement (and hearing their wonderful performance) got me excited about writing a new piece for this rich and varied combination.

Working with text provides ready-made material for composition. If one is faithful to the words, melodies can appear as if by magic, and the larger forms that lie slumbering within the text spring into being with little difficulty. Composing purely for instruments without the head start that words offer can be like falling into the deep end of the pool. One must swim on one's own. The experience has been bracing and has reawakened my joy in exploring abstract musical forms. –Peter Josheff

“Dodo and Celia” from the opera Middlemarch by Allen Shearer.
Libretto by Claudia Stevens.

Erin Neff as Dorothea
Ann Moss as Celia
Allen Shearer as Mr. Brooke
Peter Josheff, clarinet
Thalia Moore, cello
Karen Rosenak, piano
Directed by Claudia Stevens

"Dodo and Celia” is the first scene of Middlemarch, an opera in progress by Allen Shearer, with a libretto by Claudia Stevens based on the novel by George Eliot. The complete opera will comprise six scenes.

"Dodo and Celia" recreates the famous "jewel box" scene of the novel, in which Dorothea and Celia Brooke divide the jewelry left to them by their mother. As in the novel, the scene introduces and contrasts the sisters: Dorothea, the heroine of the piece, is beautiful and idealistic, while Celia has more conventional appeal and common sense, but lacks imagination. The mood of their interaction is good humored, with a bit of sisterly rivalry. Mr. Brooke, their elderly uncle and guardian, is a comic character, forever bestowing advice on the girls that only reflects his own silliness and underscores the prevailing Victorian attitudes about the role of women.

Later in the opera Dorothea will enter into a suffocating marriage with a much older man, imagining her life can only find purpose by serving such an important scholar. She gradually realizes her mistake and falls in love with a dashing younger man, the scholar's relation, whom she does eventually marry after many bumps in the road. Celia, who in the first scene sings sarcastically about Dorothea's naive idealism, marries a rich landowner and continues to think herself the wiser of the two. –Claudia Stevens.

Four Pieces for Piano by Frank Lin.

Hadley McCarroll, piano

These four pieces were written in chronological order in the last couple of months. I wanted to write something that could express my ideas in a shorter form than I was accustomed to. –Frank Lin

Vladimir in Butterfly Country by Ann Callaway.
Libretto by Jaime Robles.

Richard Mix as Vladimir
Erina Newkirk as the butterfly Sonora
Tod Brody, flute
Carla Wilson, bassoon
Hadley McCarroll, piano
Ann Callaway, percussion

Vladimir in Butterfly Country opens with lepidopterist Vladimir searching for the perfect specimen for his collection. As he travels through the countryside he recalls how the grasses, birds and insects he experienced as a child gave him a sense of meaning within the world. Once he finds the butterfly, newly released from her chrysalis, he explains to her his desire to preserve her beauty. She however wants to be free—to fly and to live.

The opera addresses the relationship of science and nature, suggesting that scientific interest aligns with love and compassion. It also touches on the wider issues of humanity’s role within nature, the fleeting quality of life, and the delicacy of the planet’s ecological network.

Tonight's performance is a concert version of a fully staged work. –Ann Callaway